


Scattered Memories

by meezer13



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Chocobros - Freeform, Hint of ignoct, If You Squint - Freeform, M/M, Photographs, Reflection, no major spoilers-occurs post-game though, third party observation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-05
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-09-15 20:17:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9254852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meezer13/pseuds/meezer13
Summary: Random moments in time, captured on film. Some hikers passing by an abandoned, haven campsite discover personal effects left behind.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A quick drabble to warm up for future Ignoct FFXV stories that I will hopefully post soon. Occurs post-game. No major spoilers- open ending depending on what you took away from the game. However, if you haven't played through it all, you may want to hold off. 
> 
> For me, this game has inspired so many feels, so many ships, too many tears...but I hope you can enjoy this snippet.

Gusty winds sprung up from seemingly nowhere, whipping across the mountain-region campsite. The rocky ground still adorned with protective runes; no longer needed but a reminder to never forget the sacrifices made in the recent past. A few tents remained steadfast, despite the elements threatening to topple them at any moment. One in particular looked as if it had been well used many times over. Undeniably a witness to countless memories of adventures and experiences. From this abandoned, canvas haven, the bursts of air whipped inside, disturbing whatever was left behind. A multitude of photos fluttered out from its unzipped portal. They spiraled in the air, as if waltzing through time and space, until finally coming to rest. The majority scattered across the ground, while a few were captured against a nearby tree. 

A group of hikers, refugees looking for a new place to rebuild, happened to be passing by just in time to witness the sight, awed that the structure still stood and that such personal effects would be left behind, discarded and exposed to the elements.

The hikers decided to round them up and respectfully put them back where they belonged. Upon closer inspection, some indeed had been slightly weathered, but amazingly most were unscathed. There were quite a few of them, maybe a hundred or so; some still untouched in piles inside the abandoned tent. The production quality was impeccable- either the work of a pro or someone who treasured the art. 

The same four faces reappeared in most of them. Some had a single subject, others in pairs and even a few that featured all four. A quartet of fine, young men, who seemed to be best friends. They all had distinct features so they didn't seem to be blood relatives. A closeness between them however, was evident.  
A handful sported a female, cameo appearance-possibly a sister or girlfriend; but the vast majority were just frozen moments in time of the unknown males. 

From gripping battle scenes in the unrelenting dark against monsters galore to serene vignettes of fishing in the early morning light, these four had obviously been through hell and high water together. The hikers assumed these four were hunters, as the challenges they faced would have only been taken on by that lot. They were obviously brave and bold to have fought against the darkness that all had just recently been liberated from and it never broke their spirit as witnessed by the countless smiles and happy poses despite the state of the world. Rebuilding was still in full effect by those that had survived and most were still trying to find their new places in this reborn Eos. 

Which prompted the hikers to ponder where these four friends were now. If they had made it. If they had found the happiness once again that was evidenced in the memoirs they were looking at now. There was so much life in those scenes. They picked up each picture reverently, placing them back into the tent, back home where they belonged. Small pieces of a puzzle that together made up snippets in time of the lives of those young men, their happiness immortalized. 

Joyrides in a fancy car

Journeys by boat

Cooking by the campfire

Racing colorful chocobos

Selfies on the beach

Friendly, competitive matches of phone games

Spoils from a hunt

Feeding a stray cat

Flashing peace signs and striking poses

As they reached the last two pictures caught by a tree trunk, they noticed a small carving in the bark, barely noticeable under one of the photos. 

The initials NLC and ISS were embedded in the wood, like lovers would sometimes do. When they looked at the last two pictures that were turned face down against the tree, one of them displayed the man wearing cargo pants in a red- faced frenzy, appearing to chase away the photographer. Possibly caught in an embarrassing act. The other one also featured the blushing youth along with the bespectacled brunette locked in an intimate kiss. Whether they were aware that the moment was captured on film or if they were completely oblivious, none of the hikers could tell, but the love that shone through spoke volumes. Maybe they were even the two whose initials were carved into the tree. A romantic coincidence that they chose to believe, no evidence to prove them wrong. A testament that love will survive no matter the circumstances. 

With those last two pictures tucked safely back into the tent, the hikers zipped it up carefully and headed forward on their journey. Inspired anew by the perpetual scenes they had just seen. No matter where those four were now, they must have truly made their mark on the world. They had lived and loved fiercely and nothing could ever take that away.


End file.
